Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates generally to dual drive system, and more specifically to dual drive system having a motor and a mechanical pedal system, wherein drive power can be selectively provided by the motor or by a user via the mechanical pedal mechanism. The dual drive system may be used in small watercraft.
Description of Related Art
Various drive systems for watercraft are known in the art for providing motive power to a watercraft, such as a kayak or a canoe. In some examples, a pedal-powered drive system is provided as an alternative to a watercraft with a gas-powered drive system or an oar-powered drive system. An advantage of pedal-powered drive systems over gas-powered drive system is the pedal-powered drive systems are silent and more environmentally friendly than a gas-powered drive system. In addition, watercraft with pedal-powered drive systems can be taken into water with rock hazards without the fear of destroying the propeller, such as with a gas-powered motor. Compared to oar-powered drive systems, pedal-powered drive systems allow the user to use his or her legs to power the watercraft, which provides a mechanical advantage that allows for reaching greater speeds in water compared to using an arm-powered oar.
While existing pedal-powered drive systems provide a number of advantages, they are also associated with a number of disadvantages. Current pedal-powered drive systems for watercraft typically have a single propeller and a single fixed-ratio drive gear. Thus, the speed that can be achieved is limited by the propeller design and the maximum rotations-per-minute that the user is able to exert. Additionally, current pedal-powered drive systems are positioned at a fixed depth in the water. Accordingly, their use is limited to water that is deep enough to handle the diameter of the propeller. Therefore, there exists a need in the art for an improved pedal-powered drive system for watercraft that overcomes the disadvantages of the existing drive systems.